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I have been tagged in a blog hopping meme by the lovely E.M. LaBonte of The Realms of a Fantastical Mind. This meme hops, and since I like bunnies (as long as they're not the zombie kind), I decided to give it a go.

A bit of both, actually. I don't plan the details. As long as I have a general idea of what's suppose to happen, or where we're going, or what we're going to do, then I'm good. I like spontaneity and being "in the moment".

3. Tell us one thing you want to do but don’t dare to do.

Gah! I don't know. I used to be a lot more adventurous when I was younger. Think scuba diving with great white sharks, flying in a helicopter, possibly even bungee jumping though heights make me weak in the knees...ya know, the stuff we dream of doing as daredevil teens because we believe we are mighty and invincible. But ever since I became a mother, I'd see Danger! signs everywhere--from the sharp corner of a coffee table to a staircase with a broken guard rail fence (that expensive staircase fence you buy at Babies R Us to keep your little one from tumbling down the stairs and breaking their sweet noggins).

4. What's your biggest phobia?

You know, phobia's a funny word because it somehow indicates a condition, an irrational fear. Like, I used to say I was an arachnophobe because spiders give me the heebie-jeebies. But then, I realized, I don't go bonkers whenever I see a spider, so it's not totally irrational fear. So I had to scratch that one out from my resume. :) If we were to rephrase the question and ask what's my biggest fear instead, then whew! I'll have an answer for you.

Once, I had this weird daydream (I was fully conscious. Sometimes I have very morbid, strange thoughts.) while I was out in the school playgrounds, waiting for the school bell to ring and for the kids to come out. And I imagined a "what if?" scenario where something horribly, horribly wrong is happening inside the school building. Say maybe, some of the school children had turned into zombies. First, I would hear a shriek or two, and then more. Followed by the onslaught of bodies running, screaming, bursting out of the doors...total chaos. I would grab my little boy from the swings, all the while craning my neck for a glimpse of my daughter. But the crowd is growing, swelling, and I wouldn't be able to see her at first. And then.

She would be sprawled on the ground, crying, having tripped while scrambling to get out of the way of stampeding kids. I would run to her, though my movements would be slow, hindered by my pregnant belly and the little boy hanging onto my shoulder. An undead creature finds her scent, and makes its way toward her. Screams tearing at my throat. Heart pounding. I would reach her, I would reach her...

It's not so much as what type of villain or threat (whether real or imagined) there is, my biggest fear is that I won't be able to save my kids. Protect them from the evils of the world. As a parent, there's only so much that we can do. Of course, you realize by now that my daydream is purely metaphorical (I am a writer, after all.), though the fear is real.

5. If you were stranded on a desert island – what 3 things would you want with you (not including laptop, or family).

Why would I be stranded on an island in the first place? I never travel by boat, and would never go on a cruise. But if you're going to go all Cast Away on me, I guess I would want to have a satelllite phone. A knife would be good, too. And a really, really, REALLY good book.

6. Name three blessings in your life.

My husband, my kids, and my family.

7. What was your nickname in High School?

I wish I had something cool to give you. But I went to geek school (yep, no kidding.), and I don't remember earning any kind of nickname at all. I did, however, got christened "Princess Neyti" by my high school friend's little sister (she was maybe 4 or 5, at the time). I stayed overnight at their house because my friend and I had a school project we were working on. Her sister took a liking to me...actually, she liked the snacks I brought with me, and after much giggling and munching, lil sis placed a toy tiara on my head and declared that I was to be, for the remainder of the weekend, Princess Neyti of Pringles Land. Yup, I'm royalty, people.

8. If you could meet the President of the United States, what would you say to him?

Probably a lot of questions, but the most pressing one would be: Why, oh why, do I always get the jury summons, and not my husband?? I've only been a citizen for a few years and yet, that dreaded mail always has my name on it.

9. If you could be any literary character for a day, who would you be?

Oooh, a tough one! Nothing comes to mind immediately (probably 'cause I'm hungry at the moment and daydreaming of a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting...mmm...Oh, sorry!) I do have a character I like very much, and though she only exists in 2K words of my own making, I'd like very much to make her come alive sometime. She's a young witch named Amelia, who's less green than a proper witch should be, and whose spells always backfire on her. She lives with her three stepsisters--all full-fledged witches--and they think Amelia's an abomination because she's more human than witch (she hasn't grown warts, for instance, and her button nose refuses to grow three inches long). After a disastrous spell puts Amelia in more trouble than she'd ever been, she runs away from the witchy village to find her place in the world.

10. What is your favorite quote?

I don't hoard quotes, so I have nothing in my arsenal to show you. I only try to live by the golden rule of life: Don't do unto others what you don't want others to do unto you. That's a tongue twister. So, basically, be nice and show kindness to everyone. Don't judge. We're all trying to live life the best way we can (and the best way we know how--even if our knowlede is imperfect and lacking. But as long as we try, isn't that good enough?)

I'm supposed to tag 7 people so this meme can continue to hop along. So, here are my victims, er, picks:

1. Angela V. Cook, who's newly agented, and may have more interesting answers to this meme than I do.

3. Mary Frame, who's just as equally rebellious as Rookstar, and when she's got too many margaritas to drink, is a real riot. ;)

4. Kittie Howard, 'cause I'm a curious bunny and I'd like to see what she'll come up with.

5. Jenny of the Phreshness, or the Party Pony, 'cause she knows how to par-tay, and to maddeningly twist memes around until they're irreverently funny. In other words, she's the first person to make me snort my drink (and caused me much embarrassment in the process.) <3

6. Suzanne F. Payne, 'cause she's in a blogging funk and I'm hoping this meme would lift her out of the funkiness. ;)

Thanks for tagging me! I was just trying to think of a Wednesday post, and now I have one ;o) I'm not sure my answers will be all that exciting--you've lived a much more exciting life than me :o) I have crazy thoughts about bad things happening to my kids too!! For example, I always have this fear of getting car-jacked with my kids in the back seat! The idea of not being able to protect my kids is terrifying.

Hi Cherie! What a great blog. Your blog acts like a forum for writers and ideas. Simply great. This my first time visiting. You know, I read an interview with Stephen King where he was discussing his inspiration for writing and he said that he thinks of all the things that scare the hell out of him regarding being a parent. And those fears find their way into his story lines. Kind of like writing about what scares us is a way of facing the fears. And of course all readers can relate to those same fears. Anyway, your post here reminded me of that. Awesome blog and I will be back to read your latest. Keep writing.I write a blog about food, but it really acts as an excuse for me to write my reflections on life and relationships, too. Please visit. maybe follow if you like. That would be cool.

I'm with you on that beach vacation! I'd hide in your luggage, and then I'd come crawling out as soon as everything's in the hotel room - probably hungry and dehydrating after the trip, and all disheveled and groaning. So then you'd think you were on a zombie vacation, but just so long as you don't attack me long enough for me to stand up and assure you it's actually me and I'm not out to eat your kids, we'd proceed to have a blast. And I'd pay for half the vacation and probably replace your ruined suitcase too. :B

Ooh Princess Neyti, thank you for royal blessings! I will have to tackle this when I return from that photo at the top of your blog. (Really! I'm going there tomorrow.) I plan to warp the meme in marvelous ways.

Thank you Cherie!! You are too cute and sweet, I want to squeeze you and lick your face off! :)

I'm glad I'm not the only one with the daydreaming "what ifs" I remember when I was a kid, too, thinking what would happen if I were kidnapped or something happened to me or my family. I mentioned that to a friend recently, and she was like..."Uh, that's weird!"

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I'm a YA writer who loves to read. Also a mom of 3. My life is crazy but always fun. :) I'm a member of The YA Club, a group blog about YA books.
You can also find me blogging at:
http://precylarkins.wordpress.com
Represented by the lovely Julia A. Weber of J. A. Weber Literaturagentur GmbH.
Thanks for stopping by!
Email me:
writercherie@gmail.com